Mason

“Ms. Hart. You’re late.”

I stood on the doorstep of the most prestigious hotel in London, staring into the deadly silver eyes of my boss, the mysterious billionaire Mason Campbell.

Like always, he looked like an angel fallen to hell in his perfectly trimmed designer suit, his bulging muscles threatening to tear through the fabric.

Without so much as a hello, he turned and walked back inside, leaving me standing by the door with my heart threatening to explode.

I followed him inside to the living room, which was luxuriously furnished and had a magnificent view from the balcony windows.

I peered around the dark shadows of the room. In the month since I’d started working at Campbell Industry, I’d never been called to his private hotel room so late at night.

I half expected some goons to be waiting in the corner to put a bullet in my head and throw me in the Thames. But it appeared we were alone.

He turned to give me his signature icy, calculating stare. It was cold inside, but every part of me felt suddenly hot and sweaty.

“Sit down.”

I sat down reluctantly, perching on a sofa while Mr. Campbell stretched out with insolent ease in another chair.

Crossing his legs, he stared at me, and his fingers slowly drumming on his thigh made my stomach tighten.

I didn’t know what I expected when I came here.

It was bloody three in the morning!

Normally, if my boss tried calling me that early, I would happily ignore it, no matter what he wanted.

But my boss was Mason Campbell.

And you didn’t say no to Mason Campbell. Not if you wanted to live a long and happy life.

I inspected his face, hoping to find some clue as to why he brought me here.

“Do you drink, Ms. Hart?” He stood up and poured himself a drink from a crystal tumbler.

“No,” I lied, my mouth dry. I would have loved a drink, but I had a weird feeling this was some kind of test. And if I failed, I would probably never see the light of day again.

Despite my answer, he poured me one anyway and slammed it down on the table in front of me.

Instead of returning to his chair, he sat down next to me on the couch.

I grabbed my glass and stared into it. But I could feel the weight of his stare hot against my skin. He held his glass, but he never took a drink.

“Why do you think I hired you, Ms. Hart?”

My mind went crazy as the cold steel of his gaze penetrated me.

“I…I don’t know, sir.” I didn’t want to bullshit an answer.

Mason Campbell would see right through me.

But being honest didn’t exactly help me.

This was a man no one would dare anger in any way. That meant that he was used to having smart and intelligent people around him.

I wasn’t sure if Mason hated liars or stupid people more.

“Why did you hire me, sir?”

He put his untouched drink to the side and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees.

I tried to ignore the bulge of his biceps through his shirt.

I tried not to look at how it was unbuttoned, giving me a peek at his toned chest.

“I’m asking the questions tonight,” he said sternly.

I took a sip and swallowed hard, choking on the bitterness of the alcohol.

“Do you have a husband, Ms. Hart?” he asked.

“Answer me,” he pressed. “I don’t have all night.”

“No,” I said. “I’m not married.”

“Do you have a boyfriend?” he asked.

My heart pounded against my ribs.

“No,” I said again.

“How about a lover?” he asked.

“Mr. Campbell. This is…getting very personal,” I stammered, my cheeks hot.

“Yes or no,” he said. He leaned in so close I could smell the alcohol on his breath.

“No,” I finally whispered.

“Very good,” he said.

“So I can assume that you are fully committed to your work,” he continued.

“You’ve made sure of that,” I shot back.

“Well, you’re about to get a lot more committed,” he said.

“What does that mean?”

He stood suddenly, and as he walked away from me, I was finally able to breathe for the first time since I got to his room.

After a long silence, he spoke.

“I have a proposition for you, Ms. Hart. One which you cannot refuse.”

“Take me to Campbell Industry, please.”

The taxi driver tensed and looked at me like I was crazy.

“Are you sure you want to go there?” he asked.

“Yes… I work there.” I looked at the clock.

“Well, it’s my first day.” I checked the clock again, desperate to not be late. “Is there a problem?”

“No! No problem.” He looked terrified. “I’ll take you there right away, ma’am.” He sped onto the road and snuck glances at me in the rearview mirror.

I checked my hair and tried to smooth the creases in my skirt. I couldn’t afford to look sloppy on my first day. Especially not at Campbell Industry.

It was a miracle I had even gotten the position. I’d just applied to any high-paying job, hoping to get lucky. I barely even felt qualified for the low-level marketing position I interviewed for.

But I was desperate.

I yawned, triple checking my concealer hid the bags underneath my eyes. Nightmares haunted me every night.

My father’s condition was worsening, and his medical bills were stacking up on my kitchen counter. I needed this job, even if it meant working for the most powerful and dangerous man in the UK.

Mason Campbell.

A shiver ran through me as I thought of my new boss. All I knew about him were the rumors. The most influential man in all of England. Some said that it was really him, and not the prime minister, that ran the country. That he was more powerful and richer than even the royal family.

Well, I would just be in marketing.

Maybe I’d never see him.

“Here we are, ma’am,” the taxi driver said.

I looked out the window, confused. We were still a full two blocks away from the building.

“This is as close as I’m allowed to get, ma’am, sorry.”

I got out of the taxi, and it immediately turned around, tires squealing on the road as it sped away.

I gulped, my heart pounding in my chest. If I was smart, I would do the same thing and run away from Campbell Industry and never look back.

But I couldn’t.

Not when I was the only one my dad could rely on.

I walked toward the massive office building, craning my neck to see the top. It looked like any other corporate skyscraper. But there was a strange, ominous feel to it, like if I walked through those doors, I’d never come back out…

I made sure to keep my ID badge visible as I walked past a security checkpoint. My stomach tightened as the stone-faced guards eyed me as I approached the spinning doors.

I took a deep breath and walked in, ready to face goons and torture racks and bloody screams. But it was…normal.

The quiet hum of well-dressed businesspeople going about their morning filled the air. The lobby was luxuriously decorated with marble and live plants.

I sighed in relief and walked toward the receptionist.

She sized me up, not bothering to hide her disdain for me. She huffed in disbelief that I was a new hire. I managed to keep my cool as she insulted me while giving me directions to the marketing department. I couldn’t get to the twentieth floor fast enough.

My interviewer had insisted that my ID badge needed to be visible, but, looking around, I saw no one else in the building wore one. When I got in the elevator, people avoided me and waited for a different elevator.

I hated this place already.

I took the elevator alone up to the twentieth floor. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something was wrong.

I itched to leave, but I had to stay. This was the only job with a decent salary that I had been offered.

The elevator doors opened to an empty floor.

Completely empty.

No people, no furniture, no nothing. Just some pillars and some lights.

I tried pressing the button back down to the lobby, but it wouldn’t work. None of the buttons worked. The elevator just…turned off.

“Um…hello?” I called out, my voice echoing. There was no response. “Anyone here?”

I hesitantly stepped out of the elevator, looking to either side of me for a stairwell.

The elevator doors snapped closed behind me, leaving me stranded. My heart pounded in my ears and my hands trembled.

“This isn’t funny!” I yelled out. “Hello? If you don’t let me out, I’m going to call the police!” Still no response.

I gathered all of my courage and walked out onto the empty floor, looking for a way down. My legs shook so badly I was sure I’d slip out of my heels and sprain an ankle.

Then something cold pressed into the back of my head. I froze, terrified.

“On your knees,” a deep voice barked out from behind me. “Now!”

I collapsed onto the ground, scraping my knees against the concrete.

“I-I’m just here for my first day of work,” I stammered. “This is some kind of mistake—”

“Shut up!” he yelled.

I clamped my mouth shut, trying not to anger him. Tears blurred my vision, and my only thoughts were my dad, alone in the hospital room, getting sicker and sicker. He’d never know what happened to me.

He’d think I abandoned him, just like Mom…

“Gideon, pick her up,” a new voice said. Footsteps echoed through the air as the newcomer approached from behind. Gideon roughly hoisted me up and spun me around, nearly throwing me off balance.

He pushed his gun to my temple, finger on the trigger.

“Please,” I whispered. “I’ll do anything you want, just…” My voice faded away.

Walking toward me was a force of a man. I would have been on my knees without a gun to my head.

Dressed in black from head to toe, his suit could barely contain his broad chest and powerful arms. His face was carved by the gods, with cheekbones that would make any man or woman jealous, a straight nose, and kissable red lips.

And his eyes.

They were the most intense yet cold eyes I had ever seen. And they stirred something strange inside me.

He raked his fingers through his dark hair, his silver eyes ready to devour any poor soul stupid enough to glance his way.

His glare was fierce enough to wipe out the existence of mankind.

It was him.

Mason Campbell. The most vicious, sexiest man alive.

“You’re a terrible spy,” he said, his voice rumbling like thunder before a storm. “You have ten seconds to tell me who you work for. Or I’m going to be the last person you ever see.”